Compost for use in gardening consists of decomposed waste organic material. A number of different devices have been and are still used to contain the waste material during the decomposition process. The earliest devices used were pits dug in the earth. Using a pit for decomposing materials has several shortcomings. First, there is the labor involved in digging the pit. In an urban environment, one must also be concerned about the appearance and odor of a pit containing decomposing waste material located in one's yard. Finally, the decomposition process requires ventilation and the waste material must be "turned" periodically to facilitate proper decomposition.
More recent above ground devices have been used as composting bins to contain the decomposing waste material. These devices also have a number of problems in achieving the desired result. Composting bins constructed of wire panels, as disclosed in Ringer (U.S. Pat. No. 4,211,033), present several shortcomings. First, the decomposition process requires both heat and moisture. The wire panels of Ringer allow both to escape. Further, the wire panels are needlessly heavy, complex to manufacture, and therefore, expensive.
Wilson (U.S. Pat. No. 3,951,294) resolves some of the problems of wire composting bins as represented by Ringer, but has other shortcomings. Wilson discloses a plurality of panels with ends that have interlocking beads and channels. The panels are interlocked in a circular manner to form the composting bin. The beads and channels of the panels in the Wilson apparatus would require special moldings in manufacture, increasing the cost of the apparatus. Also, the number of panels required to construct the Wilson apparatus reduce the ease and convenience of its assembly.
As illustrated by the present discussion, there are a number of desirable features for a composting bin apparatus. The bin should be lightweight, easy to manufacture and assemble, relatively inexpensive, and able to retain the heat and moisture resulting from the decomposition of the waste material. Further, it would be desirable for a composting bin to be transportable and collapsible for easy storage when not in use. To allow its use in different situations, one should be able to adjust the capacity of the bin.
Although the discussion herein relates to composting bins, it is not intended that the invention be limited to this situation. It will be obvious from the description that follows that the present invention will be useful in other applications with problems common to those described herein.